IMPERISHABLE

We are created in the image and likeness of God, and we share in His divine nature. And God intends for us to live with Him eternally in heaven. Such is our destiny. “For God formed us to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made us.” (v.23). As such, we are destined for greatness.

This was God’s intent from the very beginning. “But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (v.2:24a). The devil caused the fall of Adam and Eve, and Eden was lost. Man was no longer imperishable. He was subject to death and sin. The perfect life was transformed into a very imperfect one. And from that time on, many people have accepted the darkness and sided with the devil. They reap the dire consequences, as “they who are allied with him experience it.” (v.2:24b).

But Jesus has redeemed mankind. Through him we are restored to the Father, and to the Father’s plan. We can once again attain to eternal life in heaven. In striving for holiness, “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” (v.3:1). Thus they can once again become imperishable, as was God’s plan. “Yet is their hope full of immortality” (v.3:4b).

For now, we go through life in the world, full of suffering and pain. But we are merely passing through this vale of tears. As we go through the tests of affliction with endurance, we must not lose sight of the reality. “Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.” (v.3:5). We shall then be “as gold in the furnace” (v.3:6a).

In all this we remain destined for greatness. “They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever.” (v.3:8a).